5 Miami Dolphins players that could regress in 2020

Xavien Howard has been fantastic for the Miami Dolphins but he has to reclaim his form.

Prior to the 2019 season, many Dolphins fans would hear the name Xavien Howard and immediately think of his two-interception game against the Patriots. They would see a ball-hawking cornerback who could shut down one side of the field and make quarterbacks pay when they challenged him.

Now, he needs to prove that he can get back to that level of play.

Howard has missed significant time since he arrived in Miami as a 2nd round draft pick. In his rookie season, he played in only seven games. Part of that was because he struggled early. In 2017 he started all 16 games and had four interceptions. He got even better in 2018 when he made his first Pro Bowl.

The 2017 season led the Dolphins to sign him to an early contract extension that at the time paid him as one of the top corners in the NFL. His seven interceptions highlighted his 2018 season and despite a knee injury that sidelined him for all but 12 games, Howards was ready to become a top NFL shutdown corner.

In 2019, Howard was expected to recover but he suffered through another injury and ended on IR again. He only played in five games last season and had only one interception.

Heading into 2020, Howard will have the most talented support corner on the opposite side of the field since arriving in the NFL. The problem however could be that Howard has missed a lot of time in the last two years and that could lead to production drop off this year.

Howard needs to get to his previous form of 2018 and this season will be critical for him moving forward. The time away from the field could be an issue for Howard who needs to get back into the flow.